Cynthia Tucker, the former editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now the paper's national political columnist, has slammed Long's "hypocrisy" in a blistering new column.

He is a homophobe, a narcissist and a con artist — a man much more devoted to his own wellbeing than that of his congregants or his larger community. He has misused his pulpit in ways large and small, including a self-aggrandizing abuse of the title “bishop,” a rank that doesn’t officially exist among Baptists.

Given Long’s extremely flexible ethics over the years, it’s no surprise that he chose to engage in hush-hush negotiations aimed at settling the sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by four young men. If the civil cases are settled — a settlement is reportedly close — they will likely require non-disclosure agreements by all parties. Long would then continue to insist that he did nothing wrong.

But nowhere have those closeted gays — and their bigoted but straight brethren — done more harm than in the black church, where homophobia drives gays into the closet and fuels covert sexual activity. That, in turn, allows HIV/AIDS to thrive.

Nearly half the Americans living with HIV/AIDS are black, though black Americans account for less than 13 percent of the population. In the face of that staggering epidemic, too many black churches have been complicit, fostering a “down-low” culture by encouraging denial, fear and shame among gay parishioners.

In related news: Long delivered a scaled down Easter Sunday sermon at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Long avoided any mention of the lawsuit or possible settlement but likened his fate to the resurrection and promised parishioners, "I shall rise again."